Armenian armed forces continue violating ceasefire

The armed forces of Armenia, located near the villages of Yusifjanli, Javakhirli of the Aghdam region, Qoradiz, Qorqan of the Fizuli region and Qekarkh of the Terter region opened fire at the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces last night, the Azerbaijani defense ministry said on May 17.

The Armenian side was silenced with return fire.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.